Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
  • A61B—DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION
  • A61B1/00—Instruments for performing medical examinations of the interior of cavities or tubes of the body by visual or photographical inspection, e.g. endoscopes; Illuminating arrangements therefor
  • A61B1/00064—Constructional details of the endoscope body
  • A61B1/00071—Insertion part of the endoscope body
  • A61B1/0008—Insertion part of the endoscope body characterised by distal tip features
  • A61B1/00096—Optical elements
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
  • A61B—DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION
  • A61B1/00—Instruments for performing medical examinations of the interior of cavities or tubes of the body by visual or photographical inspection, e.g. endoscopes; Illuminating arrangements therefor
  • A61B1/00131—Accessories for endoscopes
  • A61B1/00135—Oversleeves mounted on the endoscope prior to insertion
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
  • A61B—DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION
  • A61B1/00—Instruments for performing medical examinations of the interior of cavities or tubes of the body by visual or photographical inspection, e.g. endoscopes; Illuminating arrangements therefor
  • A61B1/00064—Constructional details of the endoscope body
  • A61B1/00071—Insertion part of the endoscope body
  • A61B1/0008—Insertion part of the endoscope body characterised by distal tip features
  • A61B1/00101—Insertion part of the endoscope body characterised by distal tip features the distal tip features being detachable
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
  • A61B—DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION
  • A61B1/00—Instruments for performing medical examinations of the interior of cavities or tubes of the body by visual or photographical inspection, e.g. endoscopes; Illuminating arrangements therefor
  • A61B1/00064—Constructional details of the endoscope body
  • A61B1/00105—Constructional details of the endoscope body characterised by modular construction
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
  • A61B—DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION
  • A61B1/00—Instruments for performing medical examinations of the interior of cavities or tubes of the body by visual or photographical inspection, e.g. endoscopes; Illuminating arrangements therefor
  • A61B1/00163—Optical arrangements
  • A61B1/00174—Optical arrangements characterised by the viewing angles
  • A61B1/00177—Optical arrangements characterised by the viewing angles for 90 degrees side-viewing
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
  • A61B—DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION
  • A61B1/00—Instruments for performing medical examinations of the interior of cavities or tubes of the body by visual or photographical inspection, e.g. endoscopes; Illuminating arrangements therefor
  • A61B1/00163—Optical arrangements
  • A61B1/00174—Optical arrangements characterised by the viewing angles
  • A61B1/00179—Optical arrangements characterised by the viewing angles for off-axis viewing
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
  • A61B—DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION
  • A61B1/00—Instruments for performing medical examinations of the interior of cavities or tubes of the body by visual or photographical inspection, e.g. endoscopes; Illuminating arrangements therefor
  • A61B1/04—Instruments for performing medical examinations of the interior of cavities or tubes of the body by visual or photographical inspection, e.g. endoscopes; Illuminating arrangements therefor combined with photographic or television appliances
  • A61B1/05—Instruments for performing medical examinations of the interior of cavities or tubes of the body by visual or photographical inspection, e.g. endoscopes; Illuminating arrangements therefor combined with photographic or television appliances characterised by the image sensor, e.g. camera, being in the distal end portion
  • A61B1/053—Instruments for performing medical examinations of the interior of cavities or tubes of the body by visual or photographical inspection, e.g. endoscopes; Illuminating arrangements therefor combined with photographic or television appliances characterised by the image sensor, e.g. camera, being in the distal end portion being detachable

Definitions

• the invention relates to a video endoscope with a lateral viewing direction, comprising an endoscope shaft with a cladding tube, a hermetically connected to the cladding tube at the distal end of the cladding, in particular obliquely arranged with respect to a longitudinal axis of the cladding, an entry window, a sideways-looking optical assembly and a sensor module with an optical Sensor, wherein the sensor module is arranged on a distal side of a longitudinally extending and opposite the jacket tube rotatably mounted sensor module carrier.
• the invention further relates to a method for mounting a corresponding video endoscope according to the invention.
• Video endoscopes with a lateral viewing direction are used to inspect the area in certain organs due to the reduced space available in the anatomical space or in the surgical field during endoscopic surgery.
• a rotatable endoscope in the longitudinal axis.
• a system is integrated into the endoscope, which allows the rotation of the endoscope about its longitudinal axis to maintain the orientation of the image sensor and thus of the image. This makes it easier for the surgeon to keep his orientation in the surgical field.
• the movable optical components must be placed in a hermetically sealed space. This is necessary to prevent moisture from entering the optical system.
• the hermetically sealed space or the hermetically sealed volume that extends from the endoscope tip into the handle area of the optics comprises all optical components.
• the requirement for hermetic closure of the endoscope stem to allow for good autoclavability is usually ensured by having the entrance window at the distal tip of the endoscope, which is a slanted, especially planar, entrance window or, for example, a glass dome is formed in particular hemispherical, can act, is circumferentially connected to the endoscope shaft, in particular a cladding tube of the endoscope shaft connected.
• a hermetic connection is made, for example, by soldering. The soldering takes place after the assembly of the components introduced into the endoscope shaft. Therefore, it may come in this case to contamination of the glass, especially on the inside. According to the system, these impurities can not be removed afterwards.
• Another possibility of a hermetic seal is the subsequent joining of the entire endoscope tip. This is due to the possible delay in the joining due to the heat input at the predetermined tolerances of the optical components very complex and correspondingly expensive.
• the present invention has the object to provide video endoscopes and a method for mounting video endoscopes available with which a video endoscope can be produced quickly and cleanly and within the specified tolerances, with autoclavability of the video endoscope is guaranteed.
• a video endoscope with a lateral viewing direction comprising an endoscope shaft with a cladding tube, a hermetically connected to the cladding tube at the distal end of the cladding, in particular obliquely arranged with respect to a longitudinal axis of the cladding tube, a side facing optical assembly and a sensor module with a optical sensor, wherein the sensor module is arranged on a distal side of a longitudinally extended and rotatably mounted relative to the cladding sensor module carrier, achieved in that the sideways-looking optical assembly is designed as an attachment which is distally plugged or plugged onto the sensor module and / or the sensor module carrier and which is rotatably mounted relative to the sensor module and / or sensor module carrier, wherein the attachment has at least one locking means which cooperates with at least one corresponding locking means on the cladding tube, so that the attachment gegenü Is rotationally fixed over the cladding tube.
• the invention is based on the use of an essay.
• the essay includes a prism or a mirror on a prism. or a mirror holder and can be attached to the sensor module or the sensor module carrier.
• the attachment is rotatably mounted, for example by a plain bearing. This makes it possible for the first time to assemble the components which have to be installed in the cladding tube and to insert them as a group insert into the cladding tube as a whole. This makes it possible to perform the hermetic sealing of the cladding tube with the entrance window, for example by soldering and then in the still empty cladding tube, for example, the entrance window to clean from the inside before the sensor module is inserted with the prism holder or mirror holder.
• the attachment also includes a locking means cooperating with a corresponding locking means in the cladding tube so as to oppose rotation of the prism or mirror in the attachment the cladding tube is prevented after insertion.
• the prism or the mirror itself is moved via the locking means in the cladding tube and the rigid connection to the handle.
• the sensor module with the optical sensor is rotatable relative to the cladding tube and rotatably mounted relative to the prism or mirror. These rotations are transmitted to the sensor module via the sensor module carrier, for example, by a rotational means arranged at the proximal end, for example an actuator or a magnetic coupling.
• the tube is called cladding tube, which is rotatably connected to the prism or the mirror, while the sensor module is rotatably mounted relative to the cladding tube.
• the so-called cladding tube can also be an inner tube of an endoscope shaft in alternative variants.
• the term “Cladding tube” therefore refers in this patent application to this function and not necessarily to the position as the outer, enveloping tube of the endoscope shaft.
• the sensor module carrier is preferably designed as a rigid signal line carrier or as an inner tube.
• Corresponding rigid signal line carriers are shown, for example, in the patent applications DE 10 2010 044 786.2 and DE 10 201 1076 077.6 of the Applicant, whose disclosure content is intended to be fully incorporated into the present patent application.
• It is an insulating conductor carrier, are arranged on or in the signal lines or conductor tracks.
• the rigid signal line carrier is in particular cylindrical and elongated and can be produced, for example, by casting or injection molding. The application of the conductor tracks takes place, for example, in the art of producing Molded Interconnection Devices.
• a rigid signal line carrier can also be designed as a rigid flat conductor carrier.
• the sensor module carrier is designed as an inner tube, which is mounted concentrically rotatable in the cladding tube.
• the cladding tube may also have, for example, signal conductors on its inside or on its outside.
• the sensor module carrier and / or the sensor module is rotatably mounted relative to the cladding tube via two slide bearings, wherein in particular a proximally arranged sliding bearing has a fluid seal and / or is watertight.
• the two slide bearings rotatably support the sensor module carrier and the sensor module in the cladding tube.
• the sensor module carrier and the sensor module are secured against tilting in the cladding tube.
• a fluid seal is preferably provided.
• a fluid seal may be formed as a magnetic ferrofluid seal.
• a ferrofluid magnetic seal comprises a ring magnet disposed about the part to be sealed, such as the sensor module carrier, and leaving a gap open to the sensor module carrier.
• a ferrofluid is arranged, which consists of a suspension of nanoparticles of ferromagnetic material.
• the nanoparticles have a diameter that is smaller than a magnetic domain.
• the suspension medium in this case is preferably an oil. The small size of the nanoparticles causes them to undergo Brownian motion in the suspension medium and not to attach to one another. Agglomeration of the nanoparticles can also be prevented by applying an appropriate coating to the nanoparticles.
• the nanoparticles align themselves accordingly in the magnetic field of the ring magnet, so that the ferrofluid fills the entire gap.
• the magnetic field also keeps this ferrofluid in the gap so that it does not escape to the outside. It is also possible to provide a plurality of fluid seals or a cascade of a plurality of ring openings with a corresponding ferrofluid on the ring magnet in order to increase the resistance to external air pressure or water vapor pressure.
• proximal slide bearing can also be made watertight to prevent the penetration of liquid water during autoclaving.
• the mutually corresponding locking means are preferably substantially positive fit and / or force-locking in cross-section. sig formed, in particular as a tongue and groove or as a groove and spring-loaded spring. The fit and / or adhesion of the corresponding locking means prevents any blurring of the attachment or carrier against the cladding tube in the circumferential direction.
• the groove may be provided on the attachment or support and the corresponding complementary shape in the cladding tube or vice versa.
• the locking means extends on the cladding tube over part of the longitudinal extent of the cladding tube. This makes it possible to take the orientation of the prism or mirror with respect to the cladding tube early on insertion of the mounted on the sensor module essay in the cladding tube and maintain this orientation during the entire insertion.
• the attachment can already be threaded onto the locking means in the cladding tube with its locking means on the proximal end of the cladding tube, which makes subsequent rotation in the vicinity of the distal end of the endoscope shank unnecessary.
• a sliding bearing between the sensor module and the attachment is arranged.
• the essay and the sensor module are mounted directly on each other, resulting in a space-saving design.
• the attachment is designed to receive the sensor module and the slide bearing on its proximal side, wherein a retention structure for a positive and / or non-positive coupling with a corresponding structure of the sensor module or the sensor module carrier for holding the sensor module in the axial direction is provided on a proximal edge is.
• a border which is also in axial direction is formed with a tongue or groove, wherein the sensor module or the sensor module carrier in a region of the distal end has at its periphery the corresponding spring or groove, so that again a spring / groove connection between the sensor module or sensor module carrier and attachment takes place.
• This compound allows the axial rotation of the two components against each other. However, an axial pulling apart is thereby prevented at least up to a predetermined or predeterminable force.
• the object underlying the invention is also achieved by a method for mounting a video endoscope according to the invention described above, wherein on the one hand an entrance window is hermetically connected to the cladding tube and on the other hand, a plug-in group is made by the sensor module rotatably with the sensor module carrier and the essay rotatable with the Sensor module is connected, wherein the insertion group is inserted into the cladding tube, wherein upon insertion the at least one locking means is brought to the attachment with the at least one locking means on the cladding tube in engagement.
• the formation of the insertion group on the one hand and the distal hermetic sealing of the cladding tube on the other hand makes it possible to clean the cladding tube or the entrance window from the inside before the insertion group is inserted into the cladding tube.
• the interposer assembly, and in particular the distally disposed prism or mirror are not near the location where the sealing takes place, so that the prism or mirror is not contaminated during this process.
• a meniscus lens is mounted on a distal end face of the prism or the mirror prior to insertion of the insertion group. This can be done before or after the prism or mirror is installed in the attachment or after the attachment with the prism or mirror has been pushed onto the sensor module.
• the optics of the attachment and / or the optics of the sensor module are focused prior to inserting the insertion group into the cladding tube and before and / or after connecting the attachment to the sensor module.
• the individual optical components for example the meniscus lens, the prism, the mirror and further lenses in the optical beam path in front of the sensor, are aligned with one another in order to obtain a desired sharp image in the desired viewing direction.
• the lateral viewing direction of the video endoscope according to the invention is either preset or fixed in stages or continuously variable according to the invention.
• Corresponding mechanisms or solutions with actuators or mechanical means are known and can also be implemented with the assembly concept shown in the present invention.
• FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of a video endoscope 1 according to the invention is shown schematically in cross section with an elongated endoscope shaft 2. A proximally arranged handle is not shown for clarity.
• the endoscope shaft 2 comprises a cladding tube 3, which is closed at its distal tip by a plane entrance window 4, which is soldered circumferentially to the cladding tube 3, so that a hermetic seal is achieved.
• a cladding tube 3 which is closed at its distal tip by a plane entrance window 4, which is soldered circumferentially to the cladding tube 3, so that a hermetic seal is achieved.
• the cladding tube 3 may in turn be surrounded by pipes or layers, not shown in FIG.
• optical components are assembled into a slide-in group. Distal, this includes an attachment 10 with a prism 1 1, on which a meniscus lens 12 is arranged.
• the prism 1 1 deflects laterally incident light rays in an axial direction.
• the prism 1 1 is held by a prism holder 13, which is plugged onto a sensor module 20.
• the sensor module 20 includes an optical sensor 21 on a sensor carrier 22 and upstream lenses 23, 23 ', which image the deflected by the prism 1 1 light on the sensor 21.
• the connection between the prism holder 13 and the sensor module 20 is essentially a plug connection.
• This plug-in Connection allows axial rotation of the prism holder 13 relative to the sensor module 20 and vice versa. This is achieved by a sliding bearing 24 arranged between the two components.
• the prism holder 13 has at its circumference at its proximal end an overhang 14 which has an inwardly facing edge at its proximal end.
• the slide bearing 24 which is connected to the sensor module 20, is received in the annular cavity thus formed.
• the slide bearing 24 may be connected to the prism holder 13 and the sensor module 20 may have its own circumferential structure, with which the edge or the overhang 14 of the prism holder 13 can come into operative connection.
• the outer cladding tube 3 is rotated.
• the prism 11 is connected to the prism holder 13 of the attachment 10 via a driver 15 with the cladding tube 3.
• the cladding tube 3 has a groove 5, into which the driver 15 engages.
• the driver 15 may be a so-called spring, ie an engagement body for the groove, which may also be spring preloaded.
• the sensor module 20 is rotatably mounted relative to the cladding tube 3.
• a sliding bearing 25 is provided in the distal region of the endoscope shaft 2, which between the cladding tube 3 and the Sen- sormodul 20 is arranged.
• a further slide bearing 32 is arranged in the proximal region of the endoscope shaft 2 and supports a proximal part of the sensor module carrier 30 so as to be rotatable relative to the cladding tube 3. This also prevents tilting of the slide-in assembly 10, sensor module 20 and sensor module carrier 30 relative to the cladding tube 3.
• the sensor module carrier is designed as a longitudinally extended rigid signal carrier whose proximal region 31 is widened. Not shown are signal traces on the surface or in the interior of the rigid signal conductor carrier.
• the signal conductor carrier corresponds, for example, to a signal conductor carrier, as is known from the patent applications DE 10 2010 044 786.2 or DE 10 201 1076 077.6 of the Applicant.
• the sliding bearing 32 comprises a fluid seal, for example a magnetic ferrofluid seal, which hermetically seals the interior of the cladding tube 3 distally of the sliding bearing 32 and prevents the penetration of water vapor during autoclaving of the endoscope 1.
• the sliding bearing 32 may also be designed waterproof, so that even liquid water can not penetrate additionally or the fluid seal is protected from liquid water.
• a rigid signal conductor support 30, as shown in FIG. 1 it is also possible, for example, to use a rigid printed circuit board or an inner tube in which the sensor module 20 is arranged distally and which is likewise rotatably mounted relative to the jacket tube 3 by means of slide bearings 25, 32 , The attachment 10 can then also be attached to the inner tube, which encloses the sensor module 20.
• a rigid printed circuit board or an inner tube in which the sensor module 20 is arranged distally and which is likewise rotatably mounted relative to the jacket tube 3 by means of slide bearings 25, 32 .
• the attachment 10 can then also be attached to the inner tube, which encloses the sensor module 20.
• a video endoscope according to the invention can also have a direction of view that can be adjusted continuously or in steps.
• Corresponding control means such as actuators or mechanical transmitters of control movements, can communicate with the attachment or be arranged on the attachment itself.

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• Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
• Surgery (AREA)
• Biomedical Technology (AREA)
• Medical Informatics (AREA)
• Optics & Photonics (AREA)
• Pathology (AREA)
• Radiology & Medical Imaging (AREA)
• Biophysics (AREA)
• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Heart & Thoracic Surgery (AREA)
• Nuclear Medicine, Radiotherapy & Molecular Imaging (AREA)
• Molecular Biology (AREA)
• Animal Behavior & Ethology (AREA)
• General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• Public Health (AREA)
• Veterinary Medicine (AREA)
• Endoscopes (AREA)
• Instruments For Viewing The Inside Of Hollow Bodies (AREA)

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Related Child Applications (1)

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Citations (10)

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• 2011
  • 2011-12-20 DE DE102011089157A patent/DE102011089157A1/de not_active Withdrawn
• 2012
  • 2012-12-06 CN CN201280059173.XA patent/CN103957769B/zh not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2012-12-06 JP JP2014547741A patent/JP5961701B2/ja not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2012-12-06 WO PCT/EP2012/005023 patent/WO2013091782A1/de active Application Filing
• 2014
  • 2014-06-09 US US14/299,264 patent/US9717396B2/en active Active

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